Baby Challenges
by Errol's Feather
Summary: The continuence of together and apart. We follow Hades and Persephone as they try to raise their daughter for the first year of her life.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Greek mythology. Not making any money off this, I'm just barrowing some of the characters.

_**Baby Challenges. **_

"Perse, your turn to get up," Hades groaned and pushed his wife so she would wake up and take care of the screaming baby.

"Oh no, I was up the last time, now it's your turn, there are bottles in the fridge," she said, pulling the cover over her head.

Hades grumbled something as he slowly got out of the bed and walked in the direction of the kitchen to get a bottle he could feed the little girl with.

* * *

As he neared the nursery he could hear her angry screams. He sighed as he opened the door and said, "It's OK my little goddess, daddy is here."

He calmly lifted her up from the crib and sat down in the rocking chair in the room, gently rocking her while feeding her with the bottle. The little girl sucked on the bottle hungrily, before she stopped, leaning against Hades bare chest. She let out a gurgle, clinging to him with her tiny hands, looking up at him with her light blue eyes. He smiled down at her, gently stroking her cheek, making her smile at him, before yawning.

"You're tired, so you better sleep," he said in a soft tone, before he started to hum on a lullaby to hush her back to sleep.

Pretty soon she was sleeping peacefully in his strong arms. Hades slowly got up, not to wake her, before putting her back in the crib. He bent down to gently kiss her forehead before joining his other Goddess in bed.

* * *

It was early morning in the underworld and Hades as usual was up to walk Sweetheart. The three headed dog was running excitedly in front of him, sniffing on the same spot he had sniffed a dozen times before.

The dog came back to his masters, nuzzling his robes, making Hades scratch him behind his ear and say, "Good boy, sweetheart."

The dog's tail waggled happily and they both started to walk back to the castle.

When they got inside and Hades had hung up the leach he could hear Persephone's footsteps nearing him. He turned to see her smiling at him asking, "Was it a good walk?"

"It was any newcomers?" he said, referring to the dead souls that came down to his pool every day.

"Some warriors, they fight too much," she said with a sigh, decades went by and men would never stop the fighting.

"Hmmm, as long as they are not children," Hades stated, he hated when he had to welcome children. Even to him it was just not right.

"I agree," said his queen, gently stroking his cheek, before asking, "What do we do when I have to go back up in a month?"

"It does depend on what you wish, my queen," he said with a heavy sigh.

"I really don't know, I mean I know you could raise her, but I want to be there for her, see her grow every moment as she grows. If I taker her with me on the other hand you won't be there when and I want you there for all of it. There should be a way to solve this, but I don't know how to arrange that as I have to be up there and you here," she said, looking at him with frustrated eyes. Knowing she had to leave him and perhaps her three month old daughter in about a month.

"If I had her I could come up more often than usual or the other way around as well," Hades suggested.

"You would do that, put me in front of the underworld?" she asked.

"I would if necessary," he said and kissed her gently.

"I would love that, but it wouldn't be right to ask of you, besides you are needed here at all times, maybe we could work out a deal so that I could come home in the weekends or sneak home then, or when I'm not needed," she suggested.

"I would have loved that, but are you sure they would agree to that?" he asked, knowing the laws of the God's.

"That was why I say sneak off, whatever to make it work so that we can raise her more or less together. But Hades, promise me something," she said.

"Anything you wish my queen," he said, looking deeply into her hazel eyes.

"Try to sneak off as often as possible to see us," she said, looking back into his steel blue eyes.

"Of course I will, you know how much I hate it when we are apart," he said, gently stroking her cheek.

"I do yes and I appreciate whenever you do so," she said and was about to again kiss him when they heard angry screams from the nursery upstairs.

"I'll go," she said with a sigh, releasing herself from him to go and check on their daughter.

* * *

Persephone was sneaking back home the second weekend she was supposed to be with her mother. She and Hades had had a teary farewell some weeks before and she had ended up taking the little girl with her. She didn't however seem to like the new scenery and Perse suspected that she missed having her father around.

Now they time had however come to going home to see him, it was only for a few days, but it was better than nothing. She quickly paid the ferryman to take her to the castle where she jumped on shore and walked inside.

"Hades," she called out for him as the castle sounded quiet. As there was no answer she took it that he was out walking Sweetheart. She settled in the living room with a book as she waited for him.

* * *

Persephone looked at the clock over the fireplace, it showed four in roman numbers, and Hades had still not come back.

"Where are you?" Persephone thought, as Hades was never late, especially when he knew she would return. Her mind was going like crazy as she was wondering if he was following in the footsteps of his siblings and seeing someone else. No that wasn't who he was. Something had to have happened. The baby resting in her arms sensed her mother was stressed out and started to scream. Persephone rocked her gently, walking back and forth over the grey tile floor.

The goddess however didn't manage to calm her daughter and soon she was crying as well.

It was just then a tired Hades came in through the door with Sweetheart and told the dog in an angry tone to go to bed. The dog dragged himself towards the bed with his tail between his legs and hades threw the leech on the dresser in the hallway.

He then hang his coat in the closet before he went in to join his crying family. He looked at them with confused eyes, before asking, "But Perse what on earth is the matter?"

"You…you weren't here, and I thought…." She stopped, looking into his loving eyes.

"Shhh, I was just occupied for hours as the bloody dog managed to break free, I would never ever do anything like that," said Hades softly, as he pulled them close.

"I know…I know, I was just scared and my mind wandered off," she said honestly, managing to calm her a little.

"It's OK, so how are you feeling?" he asked, gently nuzzling her cheek.

"Better now that you are with us," she said, giving him a warm smile.

"Good," he said, kissing her. While doing so his hair caught fire because the love he felt for her were overwhelming at that moment. The baby saw and excited let out a squeak.

Hades broke free and smiled at her, before looking at his wife asking, "So she's talking now?"

"Just some sounds," she said and smiled at him.

"I like it," he said, taking the little girl, into his big strong arms, before tickling her, making her giggle for the very first time. A little happy sound, as she looked up at her father with eyes filled with love.

Hades chuckled as he said, "That's daddy's big girl, have she done that before?"

"No, but I take it it means that she likes you," said Persephone, reaching up to give him a peck on the cheek.

"Hmmm, what about you then?" he said, giving her a thoughtful look.

"I love you more than anything in the world and beyond," she said with another smile.

"You hear that little Goddess, your mother loves me most of all, as I love her," he said proudly, smiling down at her, making her giggle again in return.

* * *

Persephone was smiling at her little girl, sleeping on top of her father in their bed. It was early morning in the underworld. Although down there it didn't really matter as it was mostly dark either way. Their little girl was now seven months and had been growing quite a bit. She could now sit up and play with some of her toys on her own. Her favorite was a bear that looked more like cross between that and a skeleton. She had also started to eat solid food a couple months back meaning Hades was now the only one sucking on the nipples. Not that she minded all too much.

Right now she and her father were sleeping peacefully, something she found very adorable to watch. Persephone let out a sigh of satisfaction as she leaned in more closely.

Hades that got aware of her simply opened his eyes and asked, "What are you looking at, my beautiful queen."

"Just my handsome husband," she said, making her pale cheeks get a rosered color.

"Hmm, so when do you have to leave tonight," he said, just as they got interrupted by the doorbell.

"Who the hell can it be this early," said Hades with a groan, getting out of bed, giving the little girl to his wife. She put the baby down for a second as she got up as well, grabbing a purple bathrobe and put it on. He just grabbed a pair of black sweat pants from the floor and hurried down along with his wife.

A moment later they opened to find Zeus outside. Hades let him in saying, "My dear brother, what do I over this pleasure?"

"I am here regarding Persephone, as she is as I thought here," he said.

"What do you got to do with her?" asked Hades, looking at him with questioning eyes.

"The weather up there is horrible and so is the flowering season as she sneaks away instead of tending to it," said Zeus annoyed.

"By Poseidon, you are impossible, even if she is gone you should have power enough to control the weather a little, you do when she is not there," said Hades rolling his eyes.

"When she is not there it's mostly winter and cold, I do not want bad weather in the spring and summer time as well. She has to come up and stay there until August," Zeus demanded.

"She is a free Goddess, much like your wife. If you two can raise your children together, why the hell can't we," Hades practically screamed at him in anger, his hair catching high flames, shooting almost up to the ceiling.

The little girl didn't seem to like that her uncle coming down to upset her father. She looked up at her mother that suddenly looked really sad. She sighed saying, "It's okay handsome, I'll go back up and stay there."

"Damn you Zeus," Hades cursed, as the king of Gods walked towards the exit with his wife.

This did not agree with his little girl at all, she looked over her mother's shoulder, stretching her arms out at him and yelled, "Ades, Ades!"

Both Hades and Persephone gasped, and she turned to look at him. Never before had their little girl spoken a word, and now she was clearly calling out for her father.

Persephone turned and walked back to him, defying Zeus notion to come with him. She looked at Hades saying, "I want you to take care of her, can you do that for me?"

"Of course I can, but are you sure about this?" he asked, looking at her with eyes filled with happiness and sadness.

"I am, I will see you in a little over a month," she whispered.

"We'll come up I promise," he said, tears were starting to appear in his eyes.

She nodded and reached in for a passionate kiss before leaving with Zeus.

The little girl looked after her with sad eyes saying, "Ma, ma."

"That's right little one, your ma is leaving, but she will come back in not long, now we're going inside to play," he said with a sigh, as a tiny hand reached up capturing a tear that was running down his cheek.

* * *

"No!" Macaria protested, looking at her father with upset eyes. She did not want to go to bed yet.

"Yes, it's late and you have to sleep," said Hades with a tired sigh.

"No! Mummy!" she screamed out, making Persephone come storming inside the room, looking from her one year old daughter over to her husband. Her red brown hair was starting to catch fire, much like Hades' did when he was angry.

"What's the matter?" she asked, looking more at him than her.

"She doesn't want to go to bed," he said with another sigh.

"Macaria, sweetheart, listen, you need to sleep," Persephone said in a very soft tone.

"No," she said shaking her head, before yawning.

"Yes, you're tired," her mother said.

"No," she said, but she did manage to lie down, and her flames seemed to cease.

"Good girl, sweet dreams," said Persephone and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, before turning off the light and dragging Hades out of the room.

* * *

"I don't see why she has to be so difficult," said Hades as he sank down on the bed with a yawn.

"It's a part of growing up and testing us I think," said his wife wisely, snuggling up close to him.

"Hmmm, I do like her flames though," he said with a smile.

"As long as she can control them I have no problems with it," Persephone said with a yawn. Their daughter had started with the flames about a month back; luckily nothing had caught fire yet.

"She seems to do that when she calms down, you are better at doing that then I," he said.

"Not always," Persephone admitted, as even she had troubles with that at time.

"Do you wish to sleep my queen?" he asked her.

"I do, but only if you are as well," she said.

"I will, as I am beat," he said with a huge yawn.

"Well goodnight then, my handsome king," she said and kissed his chin.

"And to you, my beautiful queen," he said and kissed the top of her head, before pulling her a little closer and then falling asleep along with her.

* * *

Feedback always welcome and very much appreciated :o)


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